Spin&#39;em high heel shoes

ABSTRACT

This invention incorporates a rotating spindle inside the high heel of a dress shoe, which transforms the downward heel impact into rotational energy, thus absorbing the impact while massaging the foot. The spindle is visible from the outside of the heel and has decorative crystals, lights or other eye catching ornamentation to attract attention when the spindle rotates. The rotating spindle also passes vibrations through the wearer&#39;s skeletal system for a soothing effect.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to footwear, and is particularly concerned with high heel shoes typically worn by women. More particularly, the present invention relates to ornamentation and features of the heel both for fashion and for the therapeutic benefits that the invention provides.

Conventional high heeled footwear is often uncomfortable, tiring and even painful to wear and to walk in. There are several medical problems associated with wearing high heels, including foot, ankle, knee, hip and lower back problems. Yet many women still wear high-heeled footwear regularly because it can make the wearer more stylish and taller.

The discomfort and pain from wearing high-heeled footwear arises because high-heeled footwear significantly alters the wearer's stance/posture and natural walking gait cycle. In flat shoes, the weight distribution is approximately 5% over the phalanges, 40% the metatarsals, 5% over the midfoot, and 50% in the heel area of the foot. Thus body weight is relatively evenly distributed between the front and rear parts of the foot. High-heeled footwear alters the angle that the wearer's foot projects forwardly from the leg, so that the weight load of the body cannot be supported in the same way as the foot in a natural position. In a high-heeled shoe with a two inch heel, 70% of the wearer's body weight is borne by the balls of the wearer's foot. As heel height increases, the percentage of body weight carried by the balls of the foot is increased. The raised heel causes disproportionate loading in the forefoot and slippage of the foot into the toe part when standing or walking. A substantial percentage of high-heeled shoe wearers report pain associated with the wearing of such footwear within one to four hours of typical walking, standing, and sitting found in a work or social environment. In many high-heeled shoes the steep ramp of the shoe causes the foot to slide downwardly, crowding and cramping the toes. Without a doubt, high heeled shoes are uncomfortable to stand in or walk in for long periods of time.

Foot problems from wearing high heeled shoes also arise because regular use of high heels causes calf muscles and tendons to shorten relative to their normal length without shoes.

The higher the heel height, the more contracted the calf muscles will become over time. At first, the symptoms include a temporary effect in which the calf muscles can still be stretched out after wearing high heels all day. Eventually, a permanent shortening of the muscles and tendons occurs. Once shortened, there is a risk that the Achilles tendons can tear if the calf muscles and Achilles tendons are stretched beyond their new shorter length. Ironically, there are many women who cannot wear flat shoes because of this problem, and the pain associated with it. To avoid this problem a women must remember to stretch the muscles and tendons after wearing high heels.

Normal walking involves at each step a “heel strike” when the heel comes in contact with the ground, a “roll” from the heel through the ball of the foot, and then lifting the ball of the foot from the ground at the end of the step. The heel strike can be jarring driving the force of impact up through the skeletal system.

2. Related Art

Previous patents seek to partially absorb the jarring heel strike by incorporating springs and/or shock absorbing materials in the heel and shoe sole. This does reduce the impact, but does nothing to massage the foot. There is therefore an opportunity a device which transforms the energy into a massaging action, along with the ornamental side effect that this invention provides.

SUMMARY

This invention incorporates a rotating spindle inside the high heel of a dress shoe, which transforms the downward heel impact into rotational energy, thus absorbing the impact while massaging the foot. The spindle is visible from the outside of the heel and has decorative crystals, lights or other eye catching ornamentation to attract attention when the spindle rotates. The rotating spindle also passes vibrations through the wearer's skeletal system for a soothing effect. The invention and its particular features and advantages will become more apparent from the following detailed description considered with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The details of the present invention, both as to its structure and operation, may be gleaned in part by study of the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like parts, and in which:

FIG. 1 is side section view of one embodiment of the high heel assembly 100 that can be attached to shoe sole 99 at the heel of footwear such as a shoe or sandal. The assembly 100 is shown in its compressed position, when the wearer's body weight is on the heel. The heel housing 101 can be manufactured of aluminum, or other lightweight metal or composite material. The upper dowel pin 102 is connected to the upper housing frame by interference fit or other means, and holds the inner race of the flanged bearing 103 in the top center of the heel. The outer race of the flanged bearing 103 holds the spindle 104 and permits it to rotate either clockwise or counterclockwise. The spindle 104 also firmly holds an Acme nut 105, which causes the spindle to spin when the Acme screw 106 moves vertically up through it. The Acme screw 106 is positioned on the top of the lower dowel pin 107 but its rotation is only constrained when pressure is applied to it, so the Acme screw does not rotate under the pressure of the heel strike, but will rotate freely when the pressure is released, allowing the spindle 104 to continue spinning when the heel is raised and the lower dowel pin 107 is returned to the non-compressed position. Set screw 108 is screwed into heel housing 101 and restrains the top of return spring 109 which is compressed above the C-clip 110 when the heel in compressed as shown. The lower dowel pin 107 is protected at its base with heel tip 111, which also limits the upward stroke of the lower dowel pin.

FIG. 2 shows the heel assembly 100 attached to the heel of a shoe.

FIG. 3 shows the external view of the heel 100 with the opening in housing 101 that permits viewing of the rotating spindle 301.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiment as disclosed herein provides for a heel with a spindle 104 actuated by a mechanical device as portrayed in FIG. 1. When the heel is compressed, there is a solid mechanical connection from the walking surface through to the heel, causing the vibrational rotation's being transmitted up through the heel to the skeletal system resulting in a massaging sensation. The frequency of this massaging action can be varied by the pitch of the Acme screw 105 and the weighting of the spindle 104.

Alternative embodiments can be provided that result in similar motion, which by example could include, but are not limited to, a small battery powered motor that actuated by the closing of contacts in the plastic heel tip 111.

FIG. 2 shows the cross section of the heel 100 mounted on the bottom of a high heel shoe.

FIG. 3 shows the external view of the same shoe with external skin of the decorated rotating spindle 301 visible in a cutout of the heel 100. 

I claim:
 1. The apparatus and methods substantially as disclosed herein.
 2. A high heel for women's or men's shoes that incorporates a rotating spindle inside the heel that can be viewed from the outside of the heel.
 3. The high heel in claim 1 with a decorated spindle that has eye catching designs such as LED lights, crystals, mirrors, or other similar ornamentation of both the heel structure, the rotating spindle or both.
 4. The spindle in claims 1 and 2 that can be rotated when mechanical pressure is exerted on the heel of by the inclusion of a battery in the design.
 5. A high heel with an inner shaft that rotates when pressure is applied to the heel causing massaging sensations in the wearer's skeletal system. 